Dot Envelope

Living area open to the west.

Project details

• Project Name: Dot Envelope
• Location of Site: Mesarska Cesta, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Design Team: Rok Oman, Spela Videcnik, Andrej Gregoric, Javier Carrera, Anna Bredaluis Ferreira, Ana Kosi, Katja Aljaz
• Project Type: Low cost shopping
• Client: Mercator d.d.
• Contractor/s: Projecta d.o.o.
• Built-up Area: Brutto surface including services 2000 m2; Shop surface: 1200 m2; Old tower: 200 m2
• Cost of Construction: 60000 EUR.
• Date of completion: 2008

Living area with the deck open to the west.

Words from the architect

The existing site is listed as industrial historical area with buildings of an old butchery complex, which included the water-tower and old butcher hall.

Demand of National heritage was to rebuild the tower as it was in original and to integrate the main facade portal of old hall in front of the planned new shopping mall.

Barrier free access road leads to the Entrance Deck.

The client permission and expected plan was pre-fabricated concrete hall of 46x42x7 meters.

Interior and all internal finishing is done as "Mercator standard" - the standard which is prescribed by shopping company's chain for all their standard malls.

South west deck brings living and master bedroom area together.

Construction Company budget was extremely limited; the part of their contract with Mercator was a reference project - simple mall, built in village in northern part of Slovenia. (This mall had only front facade with final facade finishing; the rest 3 facades were basic concrete). Exactly the same budget had to be respected in this project and the same amount was listed in our contract.

Image courtesy of Ofis arhitekti.

The new shopping mall has customer approach and parking facilities on 3 sides of the building. Therefore it was important to cover 3 sides with final decorative finishing with the budget of 1 side only.

Image courtesy of Ofis arhitekti.

After detailed calculation the budget for covering all elevations was at 60000 EUR.

The pattern was based on different stepped elevations in order to soften basic cube shell.

We took and calculated the surface that would be needed for one side. The surface was divided into three elevated surfaces.

Roof configuration allows for natural air exchange and natural light intake.

The surface which could fit into the budget for the facade was use of basic metal sheets which were painted in bronze structured color. After cost evaluation only 20% of the concrete shell could be covered with the metal sheets. So the sheets were perforated with holes in different sizes. Furthermore the cut metal circles from the sheets were used and arranged on the rest of the facade surface. The use of the holes and circle ornamental patterns were justified with the commercial merchant's company "Mercator pika* (*pika in slovene - dot)" (campaign for faithful customers). For the rest of the budget which remained; the metal chain rope was created around the metal dots.

In time the surface will be covered with green climbing plants.

Cantilevered kitchen keeps the space floating.

Sustainable Issues:

Climbing plants (evergreen) are placed around the building which will slowly cover the elevations and will become eco-green.

Sculptural bath.

Image courtesy of Ofis arhitekti.

Image courtesy of Ofis arhitekti.

Image courtesy of Ofis arhitekti.

Image courtesy of Ofis arhitekti.

Image courtesy of Ofis arhitekti.

Credits

• Text and Photographs: Courtesy of Ofis arhitekti